1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly, to a cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for use in a vacuum cleaner to separate dust from dust-laden air by a centrifugal force.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of a general cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for use in a vacuum cleaner. The general cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus will be described below with reference to commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,835 and FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the general cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for use in vacuum cleaner includes a cyclone body 20, a dust receptacle 30 and a grill member 40.
The cyclone body 20 includes a first connecting pipe 21, connected with an extension pipe 1a at a suction port side, a second connecting pipe 22 connected to an extension pipe 1b at a cleaner body side, an air inlet 23 interconnected with the first connecting pipe 21, and an air outlet 24 interconnected with the second connecting pipe 22. The cyclone body 20 forms a vortex from the dust-laden air that is drawn into the cleaner through the air inlet 23.
The dust receptacle 30 is removably connected to the cyclone body 20, and collects the dust and foreign substances separated from the air by the vortex formed in the cyclone body 20.
The grill member 40 is disposed at the air outlet 24 of the cyclone body 20, to prevent the reverse flow of the dust that is collected in the dust receptacle 30. The grill member 40 includes a grill body 41, a plurality of fine holes 42 formed in an outer circumference of the grill body 41 to form a flow passage interconnecting with the air outlet 24, and a conical reverse preventing plate 43 formed at a lower end of the grill body 41.
In the general cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for use in a vacuum cleaner constructed as above, dust-laden air is drawn into the cyclone body 20 through the first connecting pipe 21 by the suction force generated at the suction port of the vacuum cleaner. The air is drawn into the cyclone body 20 in a diagonal direction with respect to the cyclone body 20, thereby forming a vortex current in the cyclone body 20 that descends down to the bottom of the dust receptacle 30 (shown by a solid-lined arrow in FIG. 1). During this process, dust is separated by the centrifugal force of the vortex, and is collected in the dust receptacle 30.
Then, by the air current turning from the bottom of the dust receptacle 30, the air is passed through the fine holes 42 of the grill member 40, the air outlet 24 and the second connecting pipe 22, and then discharged into the cleaner body (shown by a dot-lined arrow in FIG. 1). As the air is turning upward in the dust receptacle 30, some dust comes into contact against the reverse preventing plate 43 and is returned back into the vortex current. Some dust, which is not separated from the upward air current, is filtered and returned back to the vortex current as the dust-laden air is discharged through the fine holes 42 of the grill member 40.
Some dust, which is still not separated from the air, is discharged together with the air through the fine holes 42 of the grill member 40 and the air outlet 24. The dust is then filtered out at a paper filter of the cleaner body, and the clean air is discharged outside via the motor.
Above-described cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus for use in the vacuum cleaner, however, have some problems. That is, as the dust-laden air is discharged through the fine holes 42 of the grill member 40, some of dust is attached to the grill member 40, eventually clogging the fine holes 42 of the grill member 40. When the fine holes 42 are clogged, efficiency decreases due to suction force deterioration, while the motor of the vacuum cleaner is subjected to an overload. Accordingly, the dust at the fine holes 42 of the grill member 40 has to be removed. In the general cyclone-type dust collecting apparatus, since the grill member 40 is connected to the cyclone body 20, a user has to disconnect the dust receptacle 30 from the cyclone body 20 in order to remove the dust from the grill member 40. When the user separates the dust receptacle from the cyclone body 20, the grill member 40 is exposed to the environment outside the dust receptacle, and the user has to use hands or a brush to perform a cleaning operation for removing the dust. Accordingly, the dust removing job becomes tricky, while the surrounding environment is polluted by the dust floating in the air during the process of removing the dust from the grill member 40.